Ariana Grande’s fifth appearance on Saturday Night Live was labeled as “unforgettable” by some viewers. However, many believe it did so for all the wrong reasons.
Appearing on last Saturday’s show (December 20), the singer-songwriter starred in a parody of the iconic holiday movie Home Alone, originally featuring Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister.
Highlights
- Ariana Grande appeared as Kevin McCallister in a pre-taped SNL Home Alone parody.
- The skit received divisive reactions with several viewers criticizing it for its graphic and violent twist nature.
- Some viewers found the parody hilarious, noting it was a massive improvement amidst SNL’s recent AI controversy and accusations of being unfunny.
The sketch begins with Grande reenacting the iconic scene where Kevin prepares to defend his home from robbers after his family mistakenly leaves him behind during their vacation.
However, in a dark and violent twist, it’s the family, and not the robbers, who fall prey to Kevin’s booby traps.
Ariana Grande’s SNL sketch added a bloody spin on Home Alone’s ending
Image credits: NBC
The SNL sketch flipped the script on the movie’s happy ending, which sees Kevin reunite with his family, especially his mother (Ashley Padilla). However, in this alternate ending, the reunion isn’t joyful at all since the family is subjected to a gruesome fate.
Image credits: NBC
Kevin’s father (Mikey Day) is set on fire after igniting a blowtorch connected to the closet door. His sister (Sarah Sherman) makes the situation worse with a kerosene-filled fire extinguisher before tripping on marbles and falling into a furnace.
Image credits: Saturday Night Live
One of the brothers (Tommy Brennan) hits his head on the piano while another (Bowen Yang) has his hands cut off by a swinging chainsaw. The eldest brother (Colin Jost) has his face mangled by a falling metal fan.
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Even the neighbor (Andrew Dismukes) is decapitated by the chainsaw as Kevin and his mom scream in horror, the family’s blood splattered across their faces. Just then, the gruesome series of events is revealed as the mother’s hallucination.
Image credits: Saturday Night Live
However, in a second dark twist, the neighbor suddenly reappears, hitting Kevin and his mother with a shovel, ending the chaotic family reunion on a not-so-merry note.
SNL’s Home Alone alternate ending sparked outrage among netizens
Image credits: Saturday Night Live
The pre-taped skit received divisive reactions from fans online, with many expressing their outrage over the violent holiday-themed parody.
On TikTok, several fans criticized the alternate ending for being too graphic and violent, with one user stating, “That got dark really quick.”
Image credits: Saturday Night Live
Others found the sketch was in poor taste, given the recent events in Hollywood.
“Seems kind of bad taste after (the) Reiner family tragedy,” one user said, referencing Rob Reiner and his wife’s homicide at their residence on December 14, 2025.
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Another viewer commented on X, “What kind of sick (morally depraved) person finds humor in this skit?”
On the other hand, several users found the parody hilarious, describing it as the perfect crossover between the Home Alone and Final Destination franchises. Positive comments varied between “Best skit for the year” and “One of the better SNL shorts in a long time.”
Image credits: Saturday Night Live
Reactions to Grande’s portrayal of Kevin were also polarized, with some fans finding her impression of the character spot on while others found it ‘awkward’ and ‘cringey.’
“Ariana looks like her SpongeBob boyfriend in this,” one viewer commented, referencing the pop star’s relationship with Ethan Slater.
SNL’s skits and segments have been facing serious backlash for a variety of reasons, one of them being the use of AI
Image credits: Saturday Night Live
SNL’s previous show (December 13) made headlines for all the wrong reasons after the episode, hosted by Lily Allen, was accused of using AI-generated images.
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In particular, the Weekend Update segment hosted by Colin Jost and Michael Che was filled with suspicious-looking graphics that many viewers found cheap. Fans felt the alleged use of AI undermined the efforts of creatives who work on the show every week.
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Some viewers argued that unintentionally poorly photoshopped images from previous episodes looked far funnier and were part of the show’s appeal. Others feared that the instance marked the start of the show turning into AI-generated slop.
“It was immediately noticeable, looked worse, and wasn't funny,” a Redditor commented on the alleged use of AI, which several users saw as a slap in the face of graphic designers and artists. Many fans also threatened to quit watching the show after the incident.
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The criticism comes after years of complaints by a segment of the show’s fanbase, who believe SNL has suffered a decline in its quality.
For instance, some viewers deemed the Jeopardy sketch in the Bad Bunny-hosted season 51 premiere as an all-time low for the show. Fans felt that the concept of a contestant being clueless about the show’s inverted question-and-answer format was dumb and unfunny.
Image credits: Saturday Night Live
Image credits: Saturday Night Live
More recently, a parody of The White Lotus in the April 12 episode was criticized for its portrayal of actress Aimee Lou Wood, who was depicted with overly exaggerated teeth. The actress called the depiction "unfunny and mean," leading the show’s team to issue an apology.
"Very Dark." Netizens were left polarized after SNL’s dark and violent Home Alone parody
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